To have objected to ‘prayers’ at work

[Iamthewintersale]

Will try to keep this brief… Work in a team of 12, 6 in U.K. and 6 in USA ( mid-west) and once a week we have a team meeting that we take turns in running.

Tomorrow is the turn of A. A is a Republican, church goer, voted Trump because she wanted, quote ‘More money in my pocket book and illegals dealt with’.
So far so MAGA. This came up pre-election as she’s the only Trump fan on the team and was open about it.

On the agenda for the meeting is ‘Prayer’ as point one. I pinged manager a note saying what?? A thinks it would be nice to start off with a prayer. As a team. I have asked for it to be OFF the agenda. US manager thinks it’s ‘harmless’ but has said will clarify.

AIBU to think it’s totally inappropriate??? I’m an atheist for a start, most of my U.K. team are the same or at least agnostic.

Seems weird that she’s never tried this before, but suddenly Trump ‘god saved me to MAGA’ is inaugurated and a team prayer is in the agenda.
We are a large global company, BTW, not some local mom & pop outfit that sells bibles…

YANBU - work is secular. She keeps her views and prayers to herself own time.

YABU - lighten up, what harm can it do.

Ha yes, should have been meditation

Ugh. You have my sympathies.

I really don't want to have religion or politics dinged in my ears in my workplace, and have no wish to discuss mine with my colleagues. Some people really do need to get to grips with the fact that the world isn't queuing up to hear their opinion.

Wouldn't it be a shame if she was downsized because of Trump pulling money away?

I recently got an email from someone quite high up at a US university that had a Bible verse in their email signature. Just fucking nuts.

‘Under his eye’

No, because singing was allowed.

That's just them expressing their religion though, not forcing it on anybody else.

Yep that is fucking nuts. For most jobs religion and work do not need to be entwined. Email signatures certainly should not reflect religious leanings.

Top notch username btw

I’m an American who thinks this is bonkers fwiw but I worked briefly for a team in a major U.K. law firm just a couple of years ago that had a weekly meeting they called “prayers”. Not a single religious word was spoken but it was an opportunity for the team to brief each other on the matters they were working on, legal developments etc. It was always well attended because breakfast was served. I never knew why it was called “prayers” - I expect it was a vestige of a time when real prayers might have been said.

Knowing the British it’s probably a joke. From school “prayers” said in the morning.

My guess would be that it has more to do with the fact that "prayer" is also a legal term of longstanding usage.

I dunno, it was a pretty “serious” law firm (though one with a drinks trolley every Friday at 530 sharp 🍷 🤣) with a long history. I did understand there had been actual prayers in times gone by.

no prayers but colleague did manage to mention ‘our new president’ and her optimism for the future

I worked in the American headquarters of a large multinational insurance company and a statement like that would have been strictly forbidden. Corporate policy was no discussion of politics or religion in the workplace. Nothing in your office that hinted at your affiliations. It was a policy that was strictly enforced.

Obviously if the election was germane to your work product you could mention it, but you sure as heck better not give a hint as to your personal feelings about it.

I'm surprised at the amount of political and religious discussion taking place in your work environment.

In a completely inappropriate way.

Email signatures are for essential work related info (name, job title, contact details, possibly a standard corporate message). Not for personal beliefs or views - bible verses have no more place than a review of last night's TV or what you're having for lunch.

Arf @NoBinturongsHereMate - It's a shame I don't still have a job, as I love the idea of signing off emails to elderly clients with:

Yours-in-Christ
Gonners
Strictly was crap last night, wasn't it?
Gotta go ... my pizza's getting cold.

One job I had, there were "The Gods" - C++, SQL and x86 assembler experts respectively. Everyone referred to them as that.

@Mommybunny and @Mirabai prayers has a different meaning in the legal world (at least in UK), or used to. Perhaps it was that.

Since the company and the people hosting the meeting are in the US, I wonder if UK law would not apply? I don't know.

If it’s operating in the UK and the participating employees are UK tax resident/on UK contracts, it will be bound by UK employment law.

Ramen 😂

Oh nooooo, she did not!!

Someone really needs to let this person know that politics and religion are inappropriate in the workplace!

YANBU, I am in the US and we have a policy at work about using work communication for any political or religious discussion, these topics are divisive and need to be kept out of the workplace. This is the norm IME unless the workplace is affiliated with a religion (Catholic school etc).

Could well be, I’m a lawyer myself but not UK qualified. In any event I don’t think it was a joke.

‘ Corporate policy was no discussion of politics or religion in the workplace. Nothing in your office that hinted at your affiliations. It was a policy that was strictly enforced.’

We definitely don’t have any such policy, Insuppose with so many people and locations they expect people just to be sensible about it but as the political climate and government DO very much affect our business it would be odd to try to forbid any discussion around this.

Her voting selection is nothing to do with it.

It is totally inappropriate for any religious prayer regardless of the religion to be brought in to team meetings